Democratic Republic of the Congo
This country page describes, in brief, data that TJET has compiled on regime transitions, intrastate conflict episodes, and transitional justice mechanisms. For details on the data included on this page, view the FAQ.
For Democratic Republic of the Congo, TJET has collected information on: 14 amnesties between 1972 and 2014; 74 domestic trials starting between 1978 and 2020; five foreign trials starting between 1998 and 2016; six international trials starting between 2006 and 2012; and one truth commission mandated in 2002.
Select any transitional justice mechanism in the table below to view a timeline in the figure.
Country Background
Democratic Transition
Based on well-known democracy data, TJET records one democratic transition starting in 2003.
Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.
Violent Conflict
Based on the Uppsala Conflict Data Program, TJET records 26 violent intrastate conflict episodes between 1977 and 2020 (during 21 calendar years), involving 18 distinct armed opposition groups fighting against the government. 18 conflict episodes were internationalized by involvement of external state actors.
Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions. Source: UCDP Dyadic Dataset version 23.1, https://ucdp.uu.se/downloads/index.html#dyadic.
Transitional Justice Data
As of 2020, Democratic Republic of the Congo ranks 4th out of 174 on TJET’s legacy of violence index. For a full list of country rankings over time, view the index page, and for an explanation of the index, view the Methods & FAQs page.
Amnesties
Democratic Republic of the Congo had 14 amnesties between 1972 and 2014. Two were passed during ongoing internal armed conflict. Ten were passed after internal armed conflict. Five were part of a peace agreement. Five amnesties released political prisoners. Three amnesties forgave human rights violations.
Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.
Domestic Trials
TJET has compiled data on 74 domestic prosecutions between 1978 and 2020. These include 28 regular human rights prosecutions of state agents, in which 34 persons were convicted; 37 intrastate conflict prosecutions of state agents, in which 30 persons were convicted; eleven intrastate conflict prosecutions of opposition members, in which eleven persons were convicted; and one opposition prosecution of state agents or opposition members, in which one person was convicted. In seven trials that involved high-ranking state agents, five persons were convicted.
Click on accused records for data on convictions. Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.
International or Hybrid Trials
Nationals of Democratic Republic of the Congo were subject to six international prosecutions between 2006 and 2019, which led to three convictions. Democratic Republic of the Congo was referred to the ICC in 2004. The ICC's Office of the Prosecutor opened a preliminary examination of the situation in Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2004. The first investigation of a specific case began in 2004. Starting in 2006, the ICC issued six arrest warrants, five of which resulted in court appearances. Proceedings began in four cases in 2009.
Click on accused records for data on convictions. Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.
Foreign Trials
Nationals of Democratic Republic of the Congo were defendants in five foreign prosecutions in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Senegal beginning between 1998 and 2016.
Click on accused records for data on convictions. Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.
Truth Commissions
Democratic Republic of the Congo mandated one truth commission in 2002. The commission completed its operations in 2007. The commission issued a final report, which are publicly available. The report included recommendations for institutional reforms.
Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.
UN Investigations
Democratic Republic of the Congo was subject to six UN investigations between 1997 and 2021. Four investigations aimed to encourage domestic prosecutions.
Data up to 2020. Hover over column labels for definitions.